Wednesday, November 3, 2010

WDW- Tzatziki

I had to take some antibiotics last week (yukky ones, too) and a friend reminded me to "eat my yogurt." Antibiotics kill not only harmful bacteria in your body; they also kill the healthy ones in the intestines. The live bacterial cultures in yogurt can help replenish the intestines with helpful bacteria before the harmful ones take over. I read that a daily dose of 8 oz. yogurt while a person is taking antibiotics and for two weeks thereafter is very beneficial. So, it's yogurt for me!

I happened to have a container of Trader Joe's Greek yogurt on hand (I love the stuff).I use the 0% fat one, and can't taste the difference. When the farm box arrived this morning, and I saw that I had a cucumber, I knew exactly what lunch would be - Tzatziki!

Tzatziki is a refreshing yogurt dip and is very versitile. I love it spooned over a gyro, and it's a great dip for fresh veggies or crackers. And it's a snap to make with the Greek Yogurt. If you get regular yogurt, you will need to strain it before you make this (regular yogurt will separate and be watery).

I peeled and finely chopped the cucumber and chopped up about 4 Tbsp. fresh mint from my garden. The mint is a must. I then stirred in the whole container of yogurt and seasoned with salt and a lot of fresh pepper. You can add fresh garlic if you like. That's it!

I was going to serve it with veggies from my farm box, when I remembered I had something else that would be perfect with it too....

A few weeks ago, my sweet (8 months pregnant) friend, Alik invited Emma and I over to her home for a traditional Armenian breakfast. I cannot tell you the proper names of all that we ate, but I do know it was all delicious. There was a wonderful fava bean soup with condiments to stir in, which was so comforting, lebni (kind of like tzatziki without the cucumbers/mint) and a grilled bread that Alik made. We watched her make the bread and definitely wanted to be able to make it sometime at home. Alik kindly offered to give me a package of the herb seasoning (Zattar mix)that she used, and I picked up the rest of the ingredients at Costco. I found Naan Bread and Halloumi cheese, two things I didn't even know Costco carried. You can use any mid- eastern type bread that is soft, but not a pita, it's not soft enough.

The bread is simple, tasty, and is kind of like pizza. Armenian pizza, maybe? Here's how you make it:

Grab yourself some naan. Be sure to get the "healthy" kind like I did. You know, the one that says "white flour" as the first ingredient.

Get ahold of some Zattar mix. Found at mid-eastern markets.

Mix the Zattar mix with some olive oil to form a thick paste. Zattar mix is basically dried herbs (primarily oregano)and sesame seeds.

Spread the herb paste liberally on the bread.

Add some of the Halloumi cheese (you could also use "frying cheese" and I have used queso fresco from TJ's as well) and place bread cheese side up in a lightly greased non-stick skillet. Cook on medium until the cheese starts to stick to the bread and the bottom of the bread starts to brown up a little.

Carefully flip the bread so that the cheese is now face down. I say carefully or you will have Zattar mix in places you don't really care to have it (trust me, I know). Continue to cook about 2 more minutes until the cheese releases easily from the pan and is nicely browned. Invert onto a plate and cut into wedges for easy eating. Delish.

Thanks Alik, and anytime you get lonely at breakfast time, let us know. :-)

2 comments:

Oh my goodness, I love this kind of sauce (can't even remember how to spell it :o)...but I've never tried to make it myself! If my tummy weren't so queezy all the time I probably would make it this week :o) But, I'll probably have to wait until my tummy is okay with food prep again.

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I live in a rural pocket of Los Angeles and am a Christian, a wife, a mother, and a grammie. My family is my biggest joy. I simply love being a homemaker and sharing bits of our blessed ranch life here on my blog.
Why "e-wife"? My husband nicknamed me that because I buy anything I can online. So, contrary to popular belief, the "e" actually stands for "electronic" and not "excellent" - though I do strive to be an excellent wife! ~ Proverbs 31:10